The Yellowstone Criminal
The Yellowstone Criminal (real name Harley Green) was a serial killer and robber known for his crimes in and around Yellowstone National Park. Having committed numerous murders and robberies within the park's borders, The Yellowstone Criminal committed a total of five murders and roughly several dozen robberies. After several years of these crimes, he was eventually busted, but got off without punishment due to a legal loophole. He was eventually found dead in his home several months later under suspicious circumstances. Many conspiracy theories have emerged about his death since, including murder by the CIA or FBI. Life Harley Green was born on October 22nd, 1995 in Denver, Colorado into a middle class family. As a child, he was abandoned by his mother and eventually ended up in foster care. He was known as a quiet, but smart child, ending up the valedictorian of his high school class upon graduating. He went to Colorado State University and then to Harvard Law School, graduating in 2021. After college, his long childhood problems began to emerge, now suffering from serious depression and exhibiting signs of mental illness. Eventually, the 30 year old Green resorted to a life of crime, taking out a loan to buy a small home in the small city of Ashton, Idaho, near Yellowstone National Park. MO (Modus Operandi) The Yellowstone Criminal often went upon his crimes by befriending people in nearby cities, either building trust or getting them drunk, then taking them inside Yellowstone National Park in Idaho. He would then partake in his highly illegal activies, robbing or murdering his victims, camping in a nearby location, returning to his home in Ashton, and then repeating every couple months over the course of a few years. In instances where he did not kill his victims, he would often rob them while camping out in Yellowstone. Caught On April 12th, 2028, after roughly 3 years of this crime spree, he was seen by law enforcement camping out after oversleeping his usual time of departure at Yellowstone. Initially, he was arrested on the charges of trespassing and indecent exposure, but while being detained in a local prison in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, further investigation and interviews resulted in him admitting to the five murders and robberies committed. Initially, due to all the crimes being in the state of Idaho but within Wyoming's court district, he was sent to a state prison in Cheyenne awaiting a court date. Time with the courts Upon a court hearing, Mr. Green elected to represent himself in the court. His actions stunned the courts, as he not only admitted to them, but refused to accept a Plea Deal on his crimes, instead opting to go to trial. However, this trial never occurred. Mr. Green refused the plea deal because he realized they could not try him of a crime without a jury from both the same state and same court district that the crime occurred. The problem with that was that zero people lived in the Idaho portion of Wyoming's court district, making this trial impossible. He returned to the court. This time the judge tried to offer a more generous plea deal, in hopes of avoiding this legal loophole. Mr. Green continued to refuse, electing to send the case to an impossible trial. Citing the impossibility of this case, The Yellowstone Criminal was allowed to walk free without punishment, citing a 2005 Paper called "The Perfect Crime" by Brian Kalt, which argued that because you would not consent to a trial in Wyoming and a proper jury could not be formed under the 6th amendment, that you should be allowed to walk free. And walk free he did, without being tried of the crimes committed. Death Several months after the end of this court appearance, The Yellowstone Criminal was found dead in suspicious circumstance on the streets, after being evicted from his home shortly after his time in prison. This death fueled many conspiracy theories. Aftermath To ensure this could never happen again, shortly after the incident, a bill was passed and signed into law fixing the court district lines between Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho to match the state borders, thus making such a trial possible in the future.